Sea-Arama Marineworld
 Sea-Arama Marineworld TX, Orca Whale (Mamuk) Show, Circa 1973 | |
| Location | 91st & Seawall/West Beach, Galveston Island, Texas, USA |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°15′04″N 94°51′13″W / 29.2512°N 94.8536°W |
| Opened | 1965 |
| Closed | January 1990 |
| Theme | Wildlife |
| Operating season | Year Round |
Sea-Arama Marineworld was a marine mammal park located on the Gulf Coast in Galveston Island, Texas. Opening in 1965, the park was an animal-focused oceanarium, zoo, and aquarium that attracted hundreds of thousands of attendees each year.[1][2][3] The park worked with wildlife experts to study Ridley sea turtles, support brown pelican nesting, and treat/rehabilitate marine life.[1][2]
After the opening of SeaWorld San Antonio in 1988, Sea-Arama’s popularity began to wane and attendance declined. The park closed in January 1990. Animals and marine life from Sea-Arama were relocated to SeaWorld San Antonio and similar parks in the area. After several plans to revitalize the space failed to come to fruition, the park was torn down in 2006.[1][2] In 2008, the former site of Sea-Arama was used to provide a temporary debris holding station after Hurricane Ike.[3]
Attractions
[edit]- Orca Whale Shows featuring Mamuk (1968–†1974) and Lil'Nooka (†1970). The live events would have the whales leaping 13 feet into the air and other shows would have a staff member place their head in the mouth of the whale.[4][5][6][7] Director of training Ken Beggs claimed Mamuk once attempted to bite him.[8]
- Dolphin Show
- Sea Lion Show
- Marine Animal Training Workshop
- Dive to the Deep Adventure Seven Seas Aquarium Tour
- Water Ski Show
- Puppet Show
- Petting Zoo
- Shark Lagoon
- Exotic Bird Show
- Rattlesnake Show (featuring an event known as the "Kiss of Death' between a snake and handler).[3][9]
- Animal Exhibitions including false killer whales,[10] tortoises, kangaroos, pelican display, piranhas, spoonbill & wading Birds, river otters, seal & sea lion exhibit, Australian black swans, and alligators (with wrestling shows).[1][2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Hlavaty, Craig. "Sea-Arama in Galveston was an island attraction for decades". Chron. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ a b c d "Rosenberg Treasure: Sea-Arama Marineworld". Galveston, TX. 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ a b c d "Galveston's Sea-Arama Marineworld Artifacts". Rosenberg Library Museum. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "Killer Whales (Orcas) That Died in Captivity by Date of Death | PDF | Killer Whale | Pneumonia". Scribd. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "1968, Oct, Mamuk & navy whales". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 1968-10-22. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "mamuk". Abbeville Meridional. 1973-06-14. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ Pollard, Sandra (2014-06-24). Puget Sound Whales for Sale: The Fight to End Orca Hunting. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62585-139-0.
- ^ Harrigan, Stephen (1975-12-01). "A Bad Day for Dolphins". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ Gray, Chris. "For Galveston, this theme park was on par with Astroworld". Chron. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "Article clipped from The Kerrville Times". The Kerrville Times. 1989-04-04. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-03-18.